500-plus remember Judge Duncan's monumental contributions

Saturday

Nov 10, 2012 at 12:01 AMNov 10, 2012 at 2:29 AM

There were words of praise and even a standing ovation. The late Judge Robert M. Duncan would not have approved, admonishing those in the audience of 500-plus to stop the nonsense and get back to work. An auditorium at the Fawcett Center on the Ohio State University campus was packed this afternoon by those who came to remember Duncan, as one speaker put it, as "the glory of our time."

Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch

There were words of praise and even a standing ovation.

The late Judge Robert M. Duncan would not have approved, admonishing those in the audience of 500-plus to stop the nonsense and get back to work.

There were tall tales and laughter. Now that, Bob Duncan certainly would have approved.

But mostly, there were tales of a father, mentor and jurist whose calming touch and legal legacy will long survive him in doors opened for others, including Columbus schoolchildren and fellow judges and lawyers.

An auditorium at the Fawcett Center on the Ohio State University campus was packed this afternoon by those who came to remember Duncan, as one speaker put it, as “the glory of our time.”

The accomplishments of Duncan, who died on Nov. 2 at age 85, made him the “Jackie Robinson of the Columbus judiciary,” said Alan C. Michaels, dean of the Moritz College of Law at OSU.

Duncan was the first black person elected to the bench in Franklin County. The first to serve on the Ohio Supreme Court. The first to serve on the U.S. Court of Military Appeals. The first to be appointed a U.S. District Court judge in Ohio.

“If central casting ever sent a judge, he would look like Bob Duncan,” said U.S. District Court Judge Algenon Marbley. “He became the conscience of our court. ... We sought to emulate his unrelenting sense of justice.”

Upon leaving the federal bench after 11 years in 1985, Duncan practiced law and became “the person to see” for those seeking wise counsel. He also served as chairman of the board of trustees at his beloved Ohio State.

“He was an individual who impacted so many lives in so many ways,” said OSU President E. Gordon Gee. “An ability to do the right thing for so many ... an ability to lift those who needed lifted.”

Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman recalled Duncan’s 1977 federal court order to desegregate Columbus City Schools as a historic step toward fostering a better community and better education for children for decades to come.

“His deeds were so giant, his life, his work and his shadow have made a difference to generations. ... He made our world and city a better place to live in,” Coleman said.

Numerous other speakers also praised Duncan. His son, Robert Vincent Duncan, conceded that his ever-modest father would have felt undeserving of the praise.

“But, Daddy,” he said, “this is one argument you lost.”

Duncan also is survived by his wife of 56 years, Shirley, and two daughters, Linn Ann Duncan and Harriett Theresa Duncan Turner.